Anyone ever wrap a d&s 5000?

[Strava]

I'm one year into owning my wash and I'm having fun learning the business. Unfortunately at this time, the wash isn't busy enough to justify buying a new IBA. I would like to get 3 or 4 more years out of my 5000. I've seen some other guys put amazing wraps on their older machines, but I have yet to see a D&S 5000 wrapped.
Does anyone have advice on wrapping an IBA? If I don't wrap it I'm going to get a grinder disk to get the muck off the stainless steel. None of the chemicals I've tried have worked very well cleaning it up. : )

 

[MEP001]

I wouldn't use a grinder on it. I've seen it done, it looks like ass. There's stuff that will get it clean, like Klean Wall. The new formulation has hydrofluoric acid, but they may still make the original one without it. You might have to use it strong, 1:1 or straight, just don't let it dry on the stainless.

Wrapping a D&S 5000 should be pretty easy since there are no curved panels. If you're thinking about a solid color, you can get the vinyl pretty cheap. Having a printed wrap is going to cost probably $3,000.

 

[Strava]

Thanks for the advice and suggestions. $2/3k doesn’t seem to bad to give it a good cosmetic refreshing.

 

[MEP001]

You may have to clean it anyway to get vinyl to stick. I'd recommend trying again to clean it first, you might be happy with how it looks, and maybe you can have something printed to put on the top panels.

 

[Strava]

Sounds good MEP001, I'll do that. The residential stainless steel cleaning chemicals I've tried to clean it with weren't much good. I definitely need something stronger.

 

[Greg Pack]

Sounds good MEP001, I'll do that. The residential stainless steel cleaning chemicals I've tried to clean it with weren't much good. I definitely need something stronger.

You might need multiple applications of a HF based acid. Check with your chemical supplier. Arcadian Nu-Wall is probably one of the most popular products I think mainly due to marketing/availability. Local chemical companies/detail suppliers would market a similar product as aluminum brightener. The stronger solutions are marked poisonous as well as corrosive. Be sure and take appropriate precautions with HF based products. Arcadian has a new product called C3 which is much safer to use. I haven't tried it though. It may take multiple application combined with scrubbing to get heavy film off with either product

 

[Waxman]

I think a wrap material should be chosen carefully. I bought some blue carbon fiber wrap and did my ACW and height restriction post. It wasn't sticky enough to stay on good and we had to use some 3m adhesive spray.

Maybe they make a marine grade wrap and, if so, that's what I would get.

 

[Strava]

Waxman did you do it yourself ir did you higher some one to do it?

 

[Waxman]

We did it ourselves.

 

[MEP001]

The vinyl won't stick to a dirty surface so you'll need to clean it anyway. Since you're going to wrap it, a wire cup on a grinder will do the job and the wrap will hide the damage.

 

[Strava]

The vinyl won't stick to a dirty surface so you'll need to clean it anyway. Since you're going to wrap it, a wire cup on a grinder will do the job and the wrap will hide the damage.

One of my hidden talents is my ability to turn a 1-day job into a 4-day project. I think that I want to try to clean it more before I take a wire brush to it. I need to research viny's too. I don't know anything about that stuff. Was/is it that difficult to DIY?

 

[MEP001]

If you use the soapy water method to apply it, just about anyone can do it and get it smooth on a flat surface. The hardest part will be getting the vinyl off the backing without stretching it.